A five-year, Canadian-funded initiative credited with expanding year-round farming and financial inclusion for thousands of women farmers in northern Ghana has come to a close this week, with officials urging local communities to sustain its gains.

The close-out ceremony for the Greater Rural Opportunities for Women 2 (GROW 2) project brought together government officials, traditional leaders, private-sector actors, and beneficiaries in Tamale.

The $25 million initiative, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Mennonite Economic Development Associates since 2021, was designed to tackle climate and market barriers facing women smallholder farmers across the Northern, Upper West, and Savannah regions.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Northern Regional Minister, Adolf John Ali, the Mayor of Tamale, Abu Takoro, described the project as a model for inclusive growth.

"There is no doubt that the GROW 2 project served as an inclusive finance and investment opportunity in Northern Ghana and as a strategy aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs and improving their socio-economic standing and the general growth of the agricultural sector," Mr Takoro said.

He praised the implementers for the achievement of the project's core interventions, including the construction of 25 mechanised solar-powered irrigation boreholes for dry-season vegetable production, expansion of access to finance for women-led smallholder farms and SMEs, provision of improved seeds and processing equipment, and financing for motorised tricycles to transport produce to market.

Mr Takoro said the infrastructure, spread across 11 districts in the region, was designed to benefit more than 3,000 women organised into Savings and Loans Groups, enabling them to farm beyond the rainy season at a time when erratic rainfall and long dry spells have depressed yields.

Mr Takoro noted that the effort directly complemented the government of Ghana's flagship programmes, including the Feed Ghana Programme, Feed the Industry Programme, and Agriculture Investment and Infrastructure Programmes, which aim to boost productivity, create jobs, and supply raw materials for local industry.

On behalf of the chiefs and people of the Northern Region, the mayor also extended gratitude to Canada for what he called a demonstrable commitment to women's empowerment and economic development in the area.

With GROW 2 scheduled to officially end, officials framed the ceremony as both a celebration and a call for continuity.

"As the GROW 2 project comes to an end, we need to remind ourselves that development is a continuous journey, and we should therefore work collectively towards sustaining all the success attained through the project's implementation," Mr Takoro said, urging savings groups, MSMEs, community leaders, and private partners to maintain the networks and systems the project created.